


Sleepover

by LizRambler



Series: Sleepovers [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 04:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizRambler/pseuds/LizRambler
Summary: Immediately after the Christmas Invasion, Rose and the Doctor bond.





	Sleepover

The Tardis doors closed. They were alone. The familiar hum surrounded them making it seem like they were in their own little world. They were if Rose thought about it. The Doctor had once mentioned that the interior of the Tardis was in quite another dimension from the outside once in response to her asking if he had seen her gray hoodie. Ten minutes later he had concluded she’d probably left it at her mother’s and to stop moaning over it when they could go to the World’s Mall and get her a semi-sentient one that she could call with a snap of her fingers.

That had been another man…a darker broodier man with bright blue eyes. Rose bit her lip as she hugged herself. She and the Doctor had been traveling together long enough to be the best of friends and she knew his expressions, his moods or she had. Everything was different. Rose had adjusted, was adjusting to the newer thinner, more brown version of the Doctor. Being inside the Tardis again seemed to shove it all front and center. There was no man in a black leather coat moving purposely around the console, pausing in his attempts to impress her to cross his arms and smile. Instead, there was a tall bouncy thin man who was dancing around the console, flipping switches enthusiastically.

“Before-Before you start,” he said in his no longer Northern accent, “I’m just putting us into the vortex to rest her for a bit. That very temporary lapse in driving ability may, and I am emphasizing the ‘may’ here, have given her a bit of a jangle. Floating in nothingness, well, I say nothingness but what I actually mean is the vortex which is the space between things, not strictly nothing. Anti-time would be closer to nothingness really if you were going to examine that sort of thing.” He flipped around to face her. “We’re not.” He finished, closing his mouth with an audible click. His eyes glittered as if he was surprised at the amount of words he had blurted out in one large chunk.

So different…

Rose drifted closer to him, still in her winter coat. His eyes tracked her, the corner of his mouth sliding down out of its manic smile and into a bit of a concerned face. His left brow, already a bit arched, raised and his head tilted a bit. “Rose? I could have left you at your mother’s. Should I have left you at your mother’s,” at her shocked expression he amended, “to sleep. Just to sleep. Not to leave. Not leaving you anywhere. Just more comfortable?”

“No.”

“No?” he asked.

“No. Or did you forget the part where Mum made my room into a guestroom and a crazy alien Christmas tree turned the wall into confetti?” Rose unbuttoned her coat and shrugged out of it. When she tossed it on the jump seat, she saw him sink against the console as a bit of tension leaked out of him. Still, he was eyeing her up. “You better not move us in the middle of the night, hear?”

“Not going to,” he assured her.

“Yeah? Because you promised my mum that we would be there for presents and breakfast and…”

He waved a hand to stop her from going on. “Yes, yes, yes. Presents! Love presents. Never had a Christmas morning before. Well, no, I have been to Christmas mornings before. On the outside. Hanging around, defeating monsters, sort of Christmas Morning adjacent. Looking forward to it. Do we have biscuits for breakfast?”

“You’ve never sat around opening presents on Christmas morning?” she asked, surprised. The Doctor seemed to get involved in everything. A gruff Northern voice reminded her that all of that was a bit domestic and she tensed. “You don’t want to go.”

“No, no! I mean yes, I want to go,” he said, his new accent lending an air of boyish earnest to him.

At least Rose thought he was being earnest She wasn’t sure she could tell anymore. Might take a few days to get used to his new facial expressions, although she loved his new smile and his eyes positively twinkled sometimes. Not that the blue hadn’t been sparkly. Rose let out a breath in frustration. She knew he was the Doctor. Why was her subconscious bringing this all up now? She backed away toward the doors to the inside of the Tardis and her room. Maybe she was too tired to accept all of it, some of it surely, most of it maybe, but all of it? In the morning her mind insisted. In the morning she would be better equipped to understand how this alien man was her best friend all stuffed into a newer, thinner, more caffeinated body. For now, she needed to- “I’m just going to go to my room.”

He dropped his arms, standing up straight. “This isn’t going to work.”

“What?” Rose felt a frizzle of fear run through her. “You said you wanted me to come-“

“You’re awkward around me. I can’t-“

“You said I could stay.”

He stilled. “Yeah, ‘course you can.” He waved off Rose’s panic, continuing, “No, we can’t be awkward! Can’t have us save the universe if you don’t trust me.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Rose grumbled.

He raised both of his very expressive eyebrows. She let out a breath. He had a point. Rose rolled her eyes at him and waved for him to continue. Unpaused, he exclaimed, “Go to your room Rose Tyler and get into your jim-jams!”

Rose snorted. She couldn’t help it. “You’re crazy, you know that? Certifiable.”

“Yes, well, a bit. A smidgen… Hush you. I’ll be there in a few minutes with the solution to all of this…” he waved a hand in between the two of them in some weird pantomime of the word ‘awkward.’ Then he slipped past her into the ship.

Rose stared after him. Shaking her head, she headed to her bedroom. It was strange to push open the door and see the same room. Somehow she thought it should have changed. Her bed was still unmade with its big fluffy pink duvet and she tripped over her spare trainers. Rose kicked them under the bed and straightened out the duvet before ducking into the bathroom. The Tardis had provided a fresh set of pajamas for Rose. They sat folded on the counter in the en suite. She touched the soft fabric and smile at the red bottoms with candy canes dancing all over them. The top was white with two candy canes crisscrossed.

She stripped, tossing her clothes in the hamper there. Washed her face, brushed her teeth, and took care of everything else and dressed in the festive PJs. They were incredibly light and soft against her skin. She slipped out of the bedroom and climbed, exhausted into her bed to wait for the Doctor. She didn’t have long to wait. He kicked the door open and entered dressed in blue pajama pants with snowmen on them. He was carrying a heavily laden tray. There were two steaming mugs and assorted snacks.

“What are you wearing?” she demanded.

He looked down and grinned. “The Tardis picked them out, why? Not festive enough?”

“Very festive. What’s all this?” Rose asked, leaning over curiously.

The Doctor kicked the bed. Rose startled as the bed and the room extended to accommodate him. He dropped the tray onto the bed and hopped in beside her. He was on top of the duvet and she could see his bunny slippers when he folded his legs up under himself. “This, Rose Tyler, is everything we need for a proper sleepover.”

Rose giggled. “This is your solution to awkwardness? Going to let me paint your nails? Braid your hair? Talk about boys?”

“No. Maybe. Absolutely not,” he answered ticking the options of on his new fingers with the hand he had just regrown. Rose scrunched her face up at it. He booped her nose. “It’s just a normal hand, Rose.”

She grabbed it. Turning it over, she examined the wrist looking for signs that it had regrown or maybe a thin line from where the other was lopped off. The Doctor was indulgent, allowing her to move his hand around, poking at the skin. She finished by running a finger down the palm. He giggled and pulled his hand loose.

“New Doctor is ticklish,” Rose announced to the room.

“The skin is just new, it’s sensitive,” he grumbled. “Here. Drink.” He dropped a mug of hot cocoa into her hands. He rained tiny marshmallows on her. Rose giggled trying to rescue the ones that rolled down the blanket. He rained them down on his own mug and Rose snatched a few that rolled away from him.

“Stop messing up my bed, I’ll get ants,” Rose complained as she sipped the hot chocolate.

“No ants on the Tardis…” he took a large swig of his cocoa. “Right. I brought snacks. Annnd what else do we need?” He glanced over at her.

Rose snorted. “You’ve never ever been to a sleepover before, have you?”

“We did spend nights together…”

“In prisons, and on alien worlds, not the same thing,” Rose teased.

He pouted. “Sort of the same thing.”

“What about when you were a kid?” Rose asked, curious.

“Oh, I was never a kid,” he lied.

“Time Lord kids had to-“

“Time Tots,” he corrected.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously, yes.” He rolled his eyes and Rose rolled hers right back.

“Bet you and your fellow Time Tots were just studying big books for your superior brains,” Rose teased just to see his expression shift to a pout. That was a new endearing expression. Rose resolved to tease him more. “Stuffing those big heads full of big theories…”

“Maybe.” He said flatly and ruffled his hair. “Our brains need constant input and not a lot of sleep…”

“I know, I know,” Rose moaned and poked him. “Put a movie on for background,” she said, taking pity on him when his pouting threatened to turn into a sulk. “Then we gorge on food. We braid each other’s hair and talk about dumb stuff. Like once me and Shireen spent the entire night talking about how Miss Garner from Year Six must live at the school. She never ever left and she wore almost the same outfit every day.” She gave him a sidelong glance.

“I changed my jumper, a lot.” He sniffed, offended.

“What about now? No jumpers?” she asked, missing them.

He thought about it. “No, don’t think so. This body likes Oxfords and ties and suits and…”

“Pajamas,” she interrupted.

The Doctor snorted. “No, no… special occasion. I’m being festive! Like you! We match in our festiveness levels.” They beamed at one another.

“Going to wear this to breakfast at my mum’s?”

His offended face was brilliant and similar enough to his old face that Rose was comforted. Her old Doctor was still in there, still complaining. She grinned. “No ta. My suit will have to do.”

“Like your suit, very geek chic.”

“Yeah?” His sunny smile appeared.

“Yeah. Pick a movie.” Rose didn’t want to inflate his ego anymore. He might float off the bed. And she was enjoying his proximity. His scent was the same underneath even though there was a new cologne or shampoo or body wash mixed in there was still that strange scent of boiled sweets, and old books and a hint of lime or something citrusy.

A remote appeared in his hands. The TV panel slid open. Rose didn’t use the view screen much, preferring to watch TV in the media room with the Doctor. He wasn’t in the habit of venturing into her room to just hang about. She would have to get him into the media room and let him pick if she wanted to watch with him but it was so worth it. She eyed his leaner, longer form and wondered if he would want to snuggle up and watch strange alien movies with incomprehensible plots.

The Lion King started.

Or maybe he preferred Disney now?

“Sorry, been in my head all day,” he said, dropping the remote onto the blanket and opening the containers on his tray. “Biscuits, crisps, sandwiches, fruit and cheese, water, that fizzy drink you like from Dintnejflks and some human magazines that I swiped from your mother’s coffee table when she wasn’t looking. This good?”

“Great,” Rose drawled as she lifted the issue of Cosmo. “We can do the quizzes.”

“I’m great at quizzes.” He enthused.

“Still full of yourself then,” she muttered.

He sniffed, ignoring her comment and snatching the magazine to supposedly search for the quiz. His cheeks turned a delightful shade pink. He tossed it away. “Maybe not.”

“Easily embarrassed superior Time Lord,” Rose said.

“Are you cataloging me?” His big brown eyes bore into her. “I’m the same person.”

“I know you are,” Rose responded. “You’re the same old Doctor in new packaging. I’m just…”

“Examining the new packaging?”

Rose nodded. “You wanted me to.”

“I did.” He said dubiously.

“Mm-hm, to get rid of the awkwardness. Familiarity breeds less awkwardness? No, I’m sure that’s not how it goes.” Rose reached out and ruffled his hair. His eyes slid shut. “Likes to be petted.”

His eyes popped open so he could glare. “I am not a cat.”

“Shame,” she said, “I like cats.”

A comb appeared in his hands. “Let’s see who likes to be petted. Come here.”

Rose turned a bit so he could get to her hair. He ran a come through the hair sending shivers up and down her spine. “You don’t have to try so hard,” she told him as he separated her hair into pieces and began braiding. He had done this for her a few times. He seemed to like trying out new and more complicated braids. Sometimes her hair slipped out of them and other times she didn’t even need an elastic. “We’re going to be okay.”

He was silent, working his fingers through her hair. Rose relaxed. The last few days had been incredibly stressful. Dinner had been a relaxed affair but Mickey had been there and her mum so Rose hadn’t been able to just enjoy being near an awake and very much alive Doctor as much as she would have liked. His hands gripped her shoulders and gave a little shake. “All done.”

“I’m going to put bows in your hair,” Rose said reaching for the comb. The Doctor kept it away from her. Rose reached up to grab it and he moved it until they were half wrestling for it. It disappeared. Rose grumbled. “No fair.”

He laughed. “Yeah, we’re going to be alright.”

Rose settled in beside him and reached for the biscuits. He leaned back against the headboard. Their shoulders touched. At first, it was a bit of a shock with his bonier shoulder. Then as she got used to it, the contact became comfortable, familiar even. He was rambling on about a few planets in between chucking back crisps and singing along with the movie. His voice was warm and light. Rose tossed a biscuit at him.

The movie ended and another started. Rose was full. She was sipping water while the Doctor painted her fingernails. He was all-in on the sleepover thing slapping polish everywhere but her nails. Rose stopped trying to pull away or correct it with remover. Her fingertips were basically lacquered.

“Tell me about regeneration,” Rose asked as he finished her pinkie with a flourish and red polish flecks hit the duvet and the tray.

He capped the polish. “What’s to tell?” he asked, tone neutral.

“Doctor,” she turned over leaning on her elbows, careful to keep her red dipped hands off of everything. “You can change into a whole new person. That’s insane.”

“Seems normal to me,” he said in the same tone.

Rose rolled her eyes. “I’m not trying to get you to change back or anything now. I know you’re you. I’m just curious. You should have told me you could.”

He pulled on his ear and scratched at his face before ruffling the back of his hair. Rose made a note that these were probably nervous tics. She laid her mostly dry hand on top of his knee. He looked away. “It doesn’t happen that often… Once every hundred years or more, sometimes much more hundreds of years. Didn’t think it would happen. Besides, it’s not an easy thing to explain. And people have left after… Reminds them that I’m not…”

“Not what?” she asked when he trailed off.

“Human. I look like you. Easy to forget I’m not. Regeneration is a big reminder that I am nowhere near human.”

“That’s dumb,” Rose replied, teasing, “You’ve got two hearts. Dead giveaway. Plus your hands are always cold.”

“They are not. Your hands are broiling.” He countered, gripping her lacquered hand and squeezing it. Rose felt the cool fingers even through the layer of polish. She liked the way her hand fit in his. That was the same. “It’s like you’ve just put down a mug of tea every time. I like it.”

Rose felt her cheeks heat up.

He made a face and rambled on about relative temperatures and the ability to regulate it through sweat (ew) or panting (double ew) or a superior circulatory system (guess who had that?) She tugged his hand to get his attention.

“Going to talk my ears off now?”

“Possibly. Not sure about it all yet. Still fizzing, still figuring it out.” He offered with a slight shrug.

“Does-Did it hurt? You sort of exploded and fell into a coma. Are you in pain now?” Rose asked, stumbling over it a bit.

“Nah,” he drawled. “Feel a bit tired from the Earth rescuing and your mum’s roast and all the nibbles.”

“But it did hurt?” Rose asked, sitting up properly to face him.

He pulled her into a tight hug. Rose melted against him. This was them. Hugs and hand-holding. She smiled, ducking her head down to his shoulder to get a hit of his scent from the source. He wiggled her back and forth before letting her go. “Rose Tyler, always compassionate. You took care of me even though you thought I was an imposter!”

“I didn’t think-“

“You didn’t know for sure,” he interrupted.

He scrambled off the bed, reappearing a second later with the discarded magazine. “I think I can handle a quiz from a human women’s magazine.”

“Alright, let’s find your perfect man.”

Rose fell asleep first. She was always going to be the first one down. She had been up for ages. When the Doctor had been in his healing coma, Mickey and Jackie had taken turns keeping her company. Rose hadn’t been able to sleep, to hyper-focused on the Doctor and his failing hearts. The comforting sound of the double pulse was under her head, lulling her. But her bladder was winning the fight and her eyes popped open. The viewscreen was on white snow. Her mouth was death. She smacked her lips from where her head lay against a muscular yet slim ribcage. The hearts were beating slow and strong.

Raising up, she was treated to the Doctor propped up against the headboard, his head tilted back, throat revealed, mouth hanging slightly open and eyes closed. A soft snore escaped him. Rose giggled. Unable to resist, she slipped into the loo, took care of business and came back with several small bows. Using her fingers to twist the soft locks into little twists, she added the bows. He snored through it. Rose even managed to get her phone and snap a few pictures. The Oncoming Storm with pink bows in his hair. Rose snorted, chortled and giggled. Settling down next to him, she let out a huge yawn as sleep pulled her gently back down.

Next time she woke, The Doctor was awaked, dressed, and holding three bows in his hands with a scandalized expression on his face. “Please explain to me why the very last of the Time Lords was vandalized last night.”

Rose let out a bark of laughter.

“This is… undignified.”

“You looked so cute!” Rose managed in between bouts of laughter.

“No, no, not cute. Manly, Rose.” He growled.

Rose playfully made a play for the bows. He tipped them into his pocket. Without thinking, Rose shoved her hand into his pocket after. It was too late, they had disappeared into his insanely deep pockets. Just like his leather coat, the pockets were Tardis-y. “Noooo! You were so pretty!”

“I want useful pockets,” she told him as she retracted her hand from his pockets. She was practically in his lap. “Mine are…pathetic.”

He was smiling at her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, you’re grinning like the cat that got the canary.”

“What’s with all the cat references, Rose? I am not a cat and I-“

“Fine, the Doctor that got the banana daiquiri then,” she cut him off. “Tell me.”

Rose used his arms to brace herself and he helped her up and out of the bed. He then lounged on her bed while she rushed around looking for something to wear. “Just go in the pajamas,” he suggested. “Festive.”

“You’re not wearing yours.” She countered as she dug in her drawer for a fresh change of clothes.

“That was for you. Special occasion.”

Rose paused. “Is that why you’re grinning? Because I’m wearing silly festive pajamas and you’re all dapper in your suit?”

“No. I’m smiling because you’re acting normally. You put bows in my hair. You’re waving your patterned pants at me…Normal.”

Rose had been gesturing with her pants. She turned crimson and he giggled. “I don’t normally wave my knickers at you. That’s new…”

“That’s alright then.”

“Yeah, guess new is not so bad.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a series of Sleepover fics for just tooth decay.


End file.
